Thanasekaran Pounraj received his Ph.D. from Madurai Kamaraj University in 1998. He performed research as a Postdoctoral Fellow at Academia Sinica, Taiwan (2001-2006) followed by Auburn University, USA (2006–2007). He served as a Lecturer in Madurai Kamaraj University and then worked as a senior postdoctoral researcher at Fu Jen Catholic University, Taiwan before joining as an Associate Professor at Pondicherry University. His research is focused on synthesis, characterization, photo physical properties, and application of metal-based functional materials.

With technology rapidly evolving toward the molecular scale, the role of chemists in designing functional molecular systems has become increasingly important. The Thanasekaran Pounraj research group utilizes advanced synthetic methodologies to address fundamental challenges at the interface of nanoscience and materials science. Metal–organic frameworks (MOFs), also known as porous coordination polymers (PCPs), are a versatile class of crystalline porous materials constructed from metal ions or clusters interconnected by multidentate organic linkers through coordination bonds, offering exceptional structural tunability, high surface area, permanent porosity, diverse morphologies, and remarkable chemical and thermal stability. Owing to these unique characteristics, MOFs have attracted widespread attention for applications in gas storage and separation, catalysis, sensing, photoluminescence, magnetism, optoelectronics, electrical conductivity, energy storage, drug delivery, bioimaging, and numerous other emerging technologies. While remarkable progress has been made in recent years, the application of MOFs in microelectronic and optoelectronic technologies remains at a relatively early stage. Addressing fundamental challenges related to charge transport, long-term stability, and scalable device integration will be critical to unlocking the full potential of these versatile materials for next-generation electronic and photonic applications. The research activities of the group are centered on the design, synthesis, and investigation of the properties of metal–organic frameworks (MOFs). Selected recent studies illustrating these research directions are presented below.